KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 23 — Another Malaysian patient previously diagnosed with the Covid-19 infection has recovered, the Health Ministry said today.

This brings the total number of patients who have made a full recovery in Malaysia to 18.

It also reduces the number of Covid-19 patients still warded in local hospitals to only four cases.

The Healthy Ministry's director-general of health Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah announced today that the latest patient to fully recover was discharged yesterday.

"She is Case 13, a 40-year-old female, Malaysian, who was confirmed with Covid-19 infection on February 5, 2020 and was treated at Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital, Alor Setar,” he said of the recovered patient.

"In total, 18 confirmed Covid-19 cases have fully recovered and discharged well, with four cases still receiving treatment in hospitals and are in stable conditions,” he added.

The latest recovery also means that all Malaysian patients in Malaysia with the Covid-19 infection have fully recovered.

The remaining four cases in Malaysia are three Chinese nationals and one American.

The 40-year-old Malaysian woman who was the latest to be discharged had reportedly praised the staff of the government hospital for the care given to her, and had also thanked the Malaysian government on its efforts to protect Malaysians from the Covid-19 virus including by carrying out "contract tracing” of persons who had contact with infected individuals that resulted in her case being detected early.

Today, Dr Noor Hisham said the Health Ministry has proactively strengthened the Covid-19 surveillance system to detect local cases in the community, adding that this was based on the same principles as the influenza surveillance system for severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) and influenza-like illness (ILI) cases.

"Strengthening detection among SARI cases was initiated on February 12, 2020. Since then, no samples have been found to be positive for COVID-19 out of those obtained and tested through the surveillance system. In addition, strengthening for detection amongst ILI cases was initiated on February 22, 2020,” he said.